WASHINGTON ISLAND, wis. — Fragrant Isle lavender Farm on Washington Island has the largest lavender farm in the Midwest with over 20,000 plants and 14 different varieties.
The cool spring and early summer delayed the lavender blooms but the recent heat has allowed the plants to catch up, creating some very vibrant views.
“It’s the most fabulous site. To be able to sit here and just relax and you can smell the lavender, you can feel the beautiful breeze, and the butterflies and the bees, it’s a lovely atmosphere to be here,” says Irene Haas
The farm was established by an immigrant couple, the husband from Honduras and the wife from France. It was her vision to own a lavender farm one day and after some experimenting from her husband, they found Washington Island had the perfect climate and soil to grow this herb.
“We are lucky enough to have very sandy soil here so that the water will just percolate very fast. But if you have clay, that’s a problem, the plants can actually die if you get several days of rainfall nonstop,” says Edgar Anderson.
Lavender comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to pink and several different shades of purple.
Besides its nice smell, this herb can be used in an assortment of options.
“Not only the beauty of it, but it is what it does for you. It is a plant that basically, has different types of properties, but one of them is relaxation, so it is good for sleeping, in addition you can cook with it, with is very good to relax you anyway, and then after that, look around, it is a beauty of it,” says Martine Anderson.
If you plan to check out these lavender blooms, you better do it soon, peak flowering only lasts another one to two weeks.
